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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - February 2026 Monthly Project Highlights Contact the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101 515 Clark Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 Report compiled by Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk City Manager's Office FEBRUARY 2026 MONTHLY PROJECTHIGHLIGHTS CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE Civil Rights Protections for Gender Identity: At its meeting on February 10, the City Council adopted an ordinance providing civil rights protection for gender identity as a protected class at the municipal level. State legislation removed gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act as of July 2025. Following this measure, several other cities in Iowa retained and reaffirmed their municipal protections for gender identity, given that local governments can adopt broader civil rights protections than the state law. Now that Ames has restored civil rights protections for gender identity at the local level, it is once again illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity in the areas of credit practices, education, employment, wages, housing, and public accommodations in Ames. The City of Ames will investigate any gender identity discrimination complaints internally since the state no longer investigates such claims. The Iowa Office of Civil Rights will still investigate all claims of discrimination on the basis of other classes protected under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Use the following link to learn more about the City’s process for investigating gender identity discrimination complaints: File a Gender Identity Discrimination Complaint. Neighborhood Connections Initiative: This month, staff presented the 2026 Neighborhood Connections Initiative to the City Council. The initiative focuses on building strong, thriving neighborhoods, and increasing engagement with residents regarding major City projects. Strategies include connecting with existing Neighborhood Associations, refreshing the Neighborhood Improvement Program, conducting a “road trip” of informational block parties through Ames, and connecting with existing groups and events. Engagement Coordinator Casandra Eames is looking forward to hearing from residents about their neighborhoods. To learn more or get involved, reach out to Engagement Coordinator Casandra Eames at casandra.eames@cityofames.org or check out the following webpage: Strong Neighborhoods. 2 LIBRARY American Revolution Events: This March, Ames Public Library will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with two exhibits and a special Transcribe-a-thon event! • Documents of the American Revolution Exhibit March 1-31, Ames Public Library Vestibule • Revolutionary Iowans Exhibit Begins March 4, Ames Public Library Gallery • American Revolution Transcribe-a-thon Saturday, March 28, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Ames Public Library Auditorium These events are funded by a grant from WETA in conjunction with the release of PBS documentary The American Revolution. Focus on Aging: Check the Library's calendar for several events about aging or caring for elderly loved ones: • Estate Planning: The Best Plan for Your Clan Tuesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m., Danfoss Room • Protecting Assets from Nursing Home Care Costs Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m., Danfoss Room • Dementia Caregiver Support Group Monday, March 23 (special date), 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., Board Room 3 • Menopause 101: Symptoms, Treatments, and What to Expect Wednesday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m., Auditorium or Zoom Iowa Featured on PBS: PBS Books and the Library of Congress are hitting the road on American Stories: A Reading Road Trip. Their next stop…Iowa! Watch for Ames Public Library Director Sheila Schofer along with Iowa authors, bookstores, and more. The episode premieres March 11 at 7:00 p.m. CST on the PBS Books Facebook page, YouTube channel, and the PBS app. 4 PARKS & RECREATION Ada Hayden Heritage Park Trout Stocking: The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries staff stocked the north lake of Ada Hayden Heritage Park in late January with approximately 1,500 rainbow trout. The stocking was unannounced in the interest of safety. The Iowa DNR has been stocking the north lake with trout at least twice per year since approximately 2011. Auditorium: Ames City Auditorium is nearing completion of the Sound System and AV Equipment project. An AV panel is one of the last components to be installed (pictured right). This panel will allow staff to connect cables backstage and route them to convenient locations, saving time and improving the facility’s appearance. The project is expected to be completed in early March, after which staff will remove the old AV equipment and speaker system. Expanding or Establishing Park Boundaries: Staff is in the process of reviewing several areas of City property adjacent to existing parks and/or greenways to determine if it makes sense to incorporate these areas into the park system. Parks and Recreation already completes the mowing, tree maintenance, snow plowing, and other tasks on these properties. By including these areas as parks or greenways, Parks and Recreation Rules and Ordinances would be used to manage these spaces. Staff presented these City -owned areas to the Parks and Recreation Commission at its February meeting and the Commission recommended City Council approve expanding existing park boundaries to include these areas. This topic will be on the City Council agenda in the near future. Staff is not looking to add amenities or additional maintenance tasks at this time. Forestry: Staff spent the past three weeks completing right -of-way tree trimming, with crews trimming a total of 487 trees. Staff completed several smaller projects across town including clearing woody vegetation in the south ditch of Oakwood Road between State Avenue and Cedar Lane. Staff also removed large willow trees along the Upland Trail at Ada Hayden Heritage Park. Heritage Stones at Ada Hayden Heritage Park: Ada Hayden Heritage Park has ten heritage stones placed throughout the park recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to the conservation of natural resources in Iowa. A sample of the 5 names and faces on the stones include Aldo Leopold, John Lacey, Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, Erwin Klaas, and Ada Hayden, after whom the park was named. The Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park (FAHHP), a partner in the management of the park, proposed adding an eleventh and twelfth stone to the park. The proposal is to include Dr. Lois Tiffany’s and Mr. Paul Johnson’s likenesses on these new stones. The proposal was presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission at its February 19 meeting. Dr. Jim Pease, President of the FAHHP Board, was present to answer any questions. The Commission approved the addition of the new stones. All costs associated with this project will be paid for by the FAHHP. Homewood Golf Course: Homewood Golf Course partnered with Painting with a Twist to host a Valentine’s Day painting event February 14 for 46 registered participants. The painting experience was designed for two participants, allowing partners to create two separate canvases that come together as one piece. Individual registration was also available for those who preferred to create their own masterpieces. Homewood Golf Course Hole Nine Improvements: Con-Struct, Ames, Iowa, started the Homewood Golf Course Hole Nine Improvements Project in late January. Con -Struct has completed the installation of the storm sewer pipe and is about halfway completed with the crossing to connect the tee to the green. The crossing is being constructed as the former pedestrian bridge was past its useful life. The crossing will be suitable for walkers and golf carts. The grading for the crossing will be completed by March 15 in time for the 2026 golf season. Once the course closes in November, a concrete path will be installed over the crossing that will complete the project. Unfortunately, an issue that has arisen is that the dump truck and heavy machinery traffic needed to complete the project has degraded the western portion of the asphalt drive to rubble. Staff is working with Public Works to design the replacement of the drive and expand parking. The project will be phased to minimize disruption to clubhouse events and golfi ng for the 2026 golf season. 6 Park Maintenance Shop Expansion Project: King Construction, Iowa Falls, Iowa, is in the final stages of completing the Park Maintenance Shop Expansion Project , which includes the renovation of the break room in the main shop, the relocation of the bulk water station, and the addition of new cold storage building. Yet to be completed are the HVAC system that services the break room and the electric service and the ventilation fans in the cold storage building. The project will be completed in early March. Wellness: A new class, “Mobility and Stretch,” began February 18 at the Sixty Forward Center. The class was introduced with two free sessions in January, which attracted 35 participants. There were 1,365 visits to the Strength & Cardio Room at the Sixty Forward Center in January 2026. A new session of classes began in February with the number of registrations shown below: Program Registrations Community Center Group Fitness 415 Sixty Forward Group Fitness 201 Virtual 40 Beginner Line Dance 14 West Coast Swing 11 Sixty Forward Center Onboarding – Jan. 29 7 WATER & POLLUTION CONTROL Ames Water & Pollution Control Participates in Public Health Study: The Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) is participating in a study with Story County Public Health. Through the partnership, the State Hygienic Laboratory performs twice weekly sampling of the plant influent that is analyzed for viral loading. The study i s a trial to see if this can be used by public health officials as a reliable early indicator of a disease outbreak. The data from the end of 2025 shows a spike in SARS CoV -2 (Covid) virus levels in September that dropped off, then spiked again around and after the holidays. Influenza A, Influenza B, and RSV also showed increased concentrations just after the end-of-year holidays that trailed down over the course of January. Hauled Waste Receiving Improvements and Other Projects: In late February, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for engineering design services for planned improvements to the WPCF’s hauled waste receiving system. This will allow improving storage and handling of high strength wastes and fats, oils, and grease (FOG) delivered to the facility. These wastes are injected directly into the WPCF’s anaerobic digesters. The successful proposal will ultimately be brought to the City Council to award a contract, likely in April. 8 Other projects underway include a solicitation of bids to install two ChargePoint EV chargers at the Water Plant: one inside the fence for City vehicles and one in the public parking lot. Staff is also finalizing a request for bids for security fencing around the SAM booster pump station and elevated tank and an RFP for design services for the Water Plant split treatment modifications. North River Valley Well Field: Construction of the North River Valley Well Field is nearly complete. Staff anticipates that a substantial deduct change order will be brought to the City Council prior to final completion to delete one well from the scope of work. Once the project is complete, the Iowa DNR will apply a $922,000 credit to the loan balance as a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Emerging Contaminant program. Laboratory analysis of the water from both wells was free of any detectible nitrate, PFAS, and herbicides/pesticides. With “clean” lab tests and encouraging test pumping results, these wells look to be an important addition to the City’s source water supply. Nutrient Reduction Modification Project: The Nutrient Reduction Modification project continues to keep pace with the planned construction schedule. As the concrete work progresses on the new aeration basins, equipment is being installed in the new grit removal system building, and the switchgear comp onents are being set in the electrical building. As part of the construction of the new aeration basins, the general contractor has installed several groundwater dewatering wells. This is to keep the deep excavations dry and to prevent upwards hydraulic pressure on the newly poured floor slabs. The dewat ering wells, which discharge into an unnamed ditch along the east side of the plant, are covered by a discharge permit issued by the Iowa DNR. As is typical in Iowa, the groundwater is high in iron. The naturally occurring iron is settling out, leaving an orange color in the ditch. The iron is contained in the non -flowing ditch, and no discoloration is reaching the South Skunk River. Staff has reviewed this discharge multiple times with the DNR, which has no concerns or objections. However, staff has fielded inquiries from concerned residents about the color. The City Council can be assured that the discharge is approved by the DNR and is causing no environmental degradation. Pictured below left is reinforcing rebar installed on preparation for a vertical wall concrete pour. Pictured below right is a new grit collection unit being delivered to the project site. Both photos were taken on February 13, 2026. 9 Xenia Rural Water Wholesale Agreement Amendment: Staff is working to finalize an amendment to the existing agreement with Xenia Rural Water District. The amendment would increase the maximum daily water volume sold to Xenia from 250,000 gallons per day to 500,000 gallons per day. This will benefit existing customers by allowing fixed costs to be spread over more gallons and by providing additional revenue that can help keep future water rate increases lower than they otherwise would be. It also allows Xenia to provide urban-level water service in Ames western fringe, removing water as an impediment to western growth and possible expansion. The agreement would also lower the cost to some developers in Ames to transfer water service rights from Xenia to the City of Ames. The agreement is anticipated to be in front of the City Council in March.